Passing Glances
by amante3456
Summary: No Aeducan would be allowed to marry beneath her. They would be destined to a relationship of passing glances. Gorim/Lady Aeducan


This is just a short piece I wrote at one in the morning. Enjoy!

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Orzammar is a huge place. Giant, even. The Diamond Quarter is filled with tons of handsome and charming nobles, just dying to woo the Lady Aeducan. So many men tried to go through her father, or even Trian to simply talk to the only daughter of the King. So many tried, with their fancy clothes and fancy gifts. So many failed.

Not that the noblemen were bad, it's just they are what the Stone made them… Noblemen. Lady Tegwyn Aeducan may have been a noble by birth, but her heart and soul were better fit elsewhere. She felt more akin to the Warrior Caste. She spent many days in her youth training with Trian, or practicing her skills with Proving fighters. She even got a Warrior's facial tattoo, the same that her great-great grandfather had before he became a Paragon.

This fact never sat well with the noblemen. Lady Aeducan was not afraid to let any man know that she could kill him if she so desired. Tegwyn preferred armor to robes, swords to jewelry, and battle to politics. Which is why, when her she met her second for the first time with a shield on his back and his armor shining, her heart skipped like no nobleman could ever make it do. Gorim greeted her not as one would a noble, but as one would greet a respected warrior.

Nothing could ever happen between the two, Tegwyn had to constantly tell herself. No Aeducan would be allowed to marry beneath her. Gorim would be exiled or killed. No, the two would have to make do with midnight trysts. They would be destined to a relationship of passing glances.

So when Tegwyn joined the Grey Wardens and made her way to the surface, she knew Gorim would be there. He had to make it to Denerim, he just had to. As soon as the battle at Ostagar was over, Duncan promised she could have leave to go to the human city. The never ending sky, shining sun, and sparkling night stars did not seem as daunting and terrifying as rumors told, they gave the dwarf hope.

The massacre at Ostagar stabbed at Tegwyn's heart. So many good soldiers died because of betrayal and politics… a concept she was intimately familiar with. She desired comfort, and as much as her companions tried, only one person on this Stone-given earth could understand the dwarf.

She set off for Denerim. A few members in her group complained, stating there was no purpose for them to go to the city. Alistair feared Tegwyn might try a frontal assault on Loghain, as Morrigan had suggested. She did not listen to their whispers or concerns. It had been over two months since she was exiled. He had to still be waiting. Gorim would still be there.

And he was. From the entrance to the Denerim Market District, Tegwyn could hear his voice. He no longer wore his shining armor, but his warm face would never leave. Tegwyn wanted to run over and kiss him right in the middle of the Market in public, something she had never been able to do. They could never do anything in public. They could only share a passing glance.

Tegwyn approached Gorim, her heart swelled. The warrior's jaw dropped in shock. Tegwyn could not contain herself as she threw her arms around her lover. Gorim hesitated before hugging back, pulling away quicker than desired. Tegwyn looked at him with a pang of rejection. Sadness was etched in every feature of the warrior, regret evident in his eyes. He knew it was a long shot that Tegwyn would find the Grey Wardens in the Deep Roads, and he had heard the rumors from Ostagar. He believed her dead.

He did not wait for her. He moved on. Pain tore at Tegwyn, stabbing deep into her heart through the already open wounds from Orzammar and Ostagar. The Ancestors had a cruel sense of humor. Even with their freedom from the Castes nothing could ever happen between them. A hollowness filled Tegwyn's chest as she left Denerim.

Nearly a year later, Tegwyn would be constantly running around Denerim performing tasks to prepare for the Landsmeet. Every day, she would pass through the Market District. As much as hurt to see his face, Tegwyn would give Gorim a passing glance, because that was all their relationship was destined to be.

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Hope you liked it. If you did, or even if you didn't, tell me why! Review please. ~amante


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